So, let's go for all kinds of recipes: cakes, pies, compotes, baked, etc. It's delicious, and it can be used with all varieties of apples, which are often called in french "knife apples" to differentiate them from "cider apples".
In France, there are probably as many varieties of apples as there are cheeses, some of which are very well known, such as "golden", "reinette", "granny-smith" etc. And others much less well known and often very local, like the "reinettes d'Armorique", "calville", "belle fille normande", etc.
Of course, they are generally not very popular, you will hardly find them in supermarkets, but you can find them on the markets or with local producers, or with enthusiasts, who try to maintain (with difficulty) this greedy heritage.
As far as apples and recipes are concerned, in cooking and pastry-making, there are no rules, you can use any apple in any recipe, in theory... In practice it is a bit more delicate, and here are some points that deserve your attention:
- It's always good to remember, apples are overall quite fragile and susceptible to insect attack, so it's perfectly normal to have fruit that's a bit stained, a bit ugly, and not at all like the apples in the shiny, smooth, perfectly round in commercials. Surface imperfections are a sign of a lack of chemical treatments, and therefore a good sign, whereas a fruit that is "too" beautiful, especially with those stupid individual sticker labels, is always a bit fishy in my eyes. Long live ugly apples!
- Some apples don't do well with baking, granny-smiths for example, but that's almost an exception, and not an absolute rule either.
In my opinion, this is the apple to avoid, and to turn to more typical apples, which are much better in taste and health.
- Whatever the recipe you are going to make, compote, tart or other, it is always very interesting to mix several varieties, rather sweet with rather sour for example. The taste will vary as you eat a pie or a cake, you will be pleasantly surprised by the result.
- The taste of apples changes with time, generally more pronounced, a little more acidic after the harvest, and softening with time.
In summary: Make the most of the apple season, opt for local varieties if you can find them, avoid golden ones and invest in an apple peeler if possible and... eat apples!
